Girard-Perregaux Brand
Girard-Perregaux Unveils Its New Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition Watch
Luxferity, 20.03.2025
Girard-Perregaux returns to Cortina d’Ampezzo, located in the heart of the Dolomites, where it will participate in the 12th edition of WinteRace Cortina. Since 2017, the Manufacture has sponsored the annual regularity race and has chosen to mark the occasion with the release of a special edition watch, the Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition.
NOT TOO FAST, NOT TOO SLOW
From March 13 to 15 March, Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites, playes host to WinteRace Cortina, a regularity race where iconic and vintage cars, some dating back 70 years, cover 460 km over two days. Co-pilots must skilfully guide the driver along the designated route using the ‘Roadbook’ provided. The objective of the race is to complete each stage within the stipulated time. Not too fast, not too slow, precision is absolute and is a prerequisite for victory.
Back in 2017, the need for competitors to appreciate the importance of timing resonated with Girard-Perregaux, a Maison with a rich tradition of making prize-winning chronometers, leading to it becoming a sponsor of WinterRace Cortina. This year is the eighth consecutive year that the Swiss marque has supported the event. To mark this milestone, the Manufacture has created a special edition model, the Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition.
n-42 Titanium Legacy On Block Bracelet
A FASCINATING JUXTAPOSITION
Spectators of the WinteRace Cortina noticed that most of the participating cars are historic models, but 20 vehicles will compete in the ‘icon section’, a category covering cars from 2000 to the present day. This juxtaposition of heritage and innovation is very familiar to Girard-Perregaux.
Indeed, when the Manufacture unveiled the Laureato in 1975, the inaugural model was considered groundbreaking, courtesy of its intricately shaped case and its then cutting-edge quartz movement.
Throughout its history, Girard-Perregaux has juxtaposed tradition and modernity as well as beauty and function. The Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition is infused with each of these characteristics, all distilled to a pure conclusion.
Eschewing a conventional dial, the wearer is indulged with views of the openworked GP01800 calibre. Drawing on the Manufacture’s expertise, the design of the watch reveals numerous movement components usually hidden from view. For example, the barrel cover is openworked, revealing the mainspring in various states of tension. Moreover, the balance can be seen oscillating to and fro, the hairspring pulses with life and the pallet lever repeatedly engages with the escape wheel. All aspects of the design are optimised to deliver a memorable visual performance.
Hours and minutes are indicated with skeletonised hands and suspended indexes, all executed in sumptuous golden tones that bestow a green emission in dim light conditions. Everything is carefully considered to ensure peerless readability while simultaneously maximising the transparency of the movement.
The model offers the convenience of an automatic movement and features a skeletonized oscillating weight ensuring the maximum amount of light passes through the intricately shaped, openworked GP01800 calibre. The oscillating weight is made of solid pink gold, wonderfully complementing hands and indexes and contributing to the overall sense of luxury.
Plissé - Pearl White
Founded in 1791, Girard-Perregaux has been crafting expressions of Haute Horlogerie for over 230 years within its integrated Manufacture, where numerous areas of expertise are combined. When creating this watch, the craftspeople based at the Manufacture have imbued it with an array of high-end hand finishes. For instance, the movement features 55 internal angles. Both technically challenging and time-consuming to perform, interior angles must be executed by hand. Comprising two bevels, each at 45°, they precisely meet on an inside corner to form a continuous line. Furthermore, the black PVD-treated mainplate and bridges encompass four different finishes, namely, bevelling, sandblasting, traits-tirés and circular satin finishes.
The case and bracelet of this new timepiece subscribe to the iconic design of the inaugural Laureato of 1975 but are executed in cuttingedge ceramic. The familiar octagonal bezel is formed of ceramic and enriched with a circular satin finish, while the ceramic case features horizontal satin finishing. Upholding Laureato tradition, the bracelet is integrated but, in this instance, it is formed of ceramic and suffused with a combination of polished and satin finishes.
YOU SAY ‘REGULARITY’, WE SAY ‘REGULATION’
The GP01800 calibre is equipped with a variable inertia balance. Unlike a regular watch fitted with an ‘index-adjuster’, the effective length of the hairspring remains fixed. The watchmaker alters the rate of the balance by adjusting inertia weights positioned on the rim of the balance wheel.
This superior form of regulation enhances shock resistance and, by default, precision. The inertia weights sit in small recesses within the rim of the balance, mitigating air turbulence, thereby, once again, aiding precision. It is this close attention to detail that serves to demonstrate the mechanical virtue underpinning the Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition.
v-40 Stormy Gray On Block Bracelet
A FUTURE CLASSIC, BORN TO RACE
Many of the historic cars competing at WinteRace Cortina were once considered state of the art, using materials that conferred strength, lightness, torsional rigidity, etc. When creating this watch, Girard-Perregaux chose cutting-edge ceramic, a material that is seven times harder than steel and very resistant to scratching. Moreover, ceramic is lightweight, hypo allergenic and supremely smooth.
The process of making a ceramic case, bracelet and bezel is both complex and protracted. The finest quality ceramic micro-beads are subjected to both pressure and high temperatures, a process termed ‘sintering’, to create a solid material. During the sintering process, an allowance has to be made for shrinkage. Thereafter, the material is milled to the desired shape and polished to a deep black lustrous conclusion that will never fade with the onset of years.
THE MOVEMENT
Reference: GP01800-0006
Self-winding mechanical movement
Diameter: 30.00 mm (131/4’’’)
Height: 4.16 mm
Frequency: 28,800 Vib/h – (4 Hz)
Number of components: 173
Number of jewels: 25
Power reserve: min. 54 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
THE LAUREATO STORY
Based in La Chaux de Fonds, with more than 30 active movements, over 80 patents, and a rare 230 years of continued history, the independent Manufacture Girard-Perregaux masters the art of High Horology. The brand is the Inventor of the very concept of a watch manufacture (in 1791) and pioneers design in watchmaking (first-ever signature watch is the Tourbillon with Three Bridges in 1867).
Over more than 2 centuries, Girard-Perregaux continued to shape the watch and the luxury industry with its innovations bridging aesthetics and functionality, such as the iconic Laureato, setting the brand as one the founders of contemporary watch making. Always true to its philosophy of manufacture and crafting exceptional movements, the Laureato - celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2025 - is the only integrated bracelet watch that was, from day one, entirely conceived and manufactured in the brand’s workshops.
From the outset, the Laureato has always been equipped with an in-house movement, affording the Manufacture the creative freedom to design a watch devoid of compromise. Over the years, the Laureato has evolved, embracing an array of dial colours, case materials and complications. Now, Girard-Perregaux has crafted a new interpretation of the Laureato, fusing contemporary and traditional know-how to delivering breathtaking performance.
The Laureato Skeleton WinteRace Edition is on sale from 13 March 2025.
